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Lipinski Releases Draft of Legislation to Relieve Scientists from Regulatory Burdens that Are Hindering Research at Universities and Labs (March 31, 2016)

Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) is releasing draft text of legislation he has written to help scientists at universities and labs by reducing the regulatory burden on scientific research funded by the Federal Government. The bill would implement the recommendations of a National Academy of Sciences report last year which found that increasing regulatory burdens on scientists are “diminishing the effectiveness of the nation’s research investment.” In particular, it would establish a panel of experts from the university research community to review existing regulations on research and recommend improvements.

“I’ve heard from many university researchers that the rules they have to comply with are taking up more and more of their time and preventing them from accomplishing their research,” Rep. Lipinski said. “As the top Democrat on the Research and Technology Subcommittee of the House Science Committee, I have worked to make it easier for scientists to spend more time on research and less time on paperwork. Not only would this proposal help get more research done that will spur innovation and improve people’s lives, it would also increase the effectiveness of taxpayer dollars spent on research.”

The Council on Governmental Relations and the Association of American Universities, which together represent over 200 U.S. research universities and institutes, issued a joint statement in response to the proposal:“We greatly appreciate Rep. Lipinski’s efforts to reduce federal research regulatory burden. Our associations fully endorse his proposed legislation, which would advance a number of important recommendations from the recent National Academies report, Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research. When regulations are inefficient, they cause waste in federal research programs. We look forward to working with Rep. Lipinski to move this bill through the legislative process with the shared goal of reducing unnecessary regulatory cost and burden while ensuring accountability and proper government oversight.”

Congressman Lipinski is asking for comment on this proposal from members of the research community and intends to introduce the proposal in the coming weeks. The draft text can be found here and a summary of the proposal’s provisions here.